Overall reproducibility in identifying the fibrous cap
of carotid artery plaques by non contrast-enhanced (CE-) MRI has shown to be
poor. CE-MRI is capable of quantitatively measuring the dimensions of the
intact fibrous cap. This study found good inter- and intraobserver agreement in
assessing fibrous cap status on a per-plaque basis by using CE-MRI. Future
prospective longitudinal studies can rely on CE-MRI to assess the predictive
value of fibrous cap status of carotid artery plaques on the occurrence of
cerebral ischemic events.